Scotland vs Belarus image by Taylor Kirkwood

By Molly Adam

Scotland are on the verge of direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup. The Tartan Army currently sit second in their group, behind Denmark on goal difference. They face Greece in Athens on Saturday, whilst Denmark takes on Belarus who sit bottom of the table with zero points.

The two nations then meet at Hampden on Tuesday, which will decide who tops the group if Scotland don’t drop points in Athens. Scotland can still qualify if they don’t top the table. It will see Steve Clarke’s men play in the play-off games in March.

Greece sit seven points behind Scotland on three points after a win over Belarus and loses to both Denmark and Scotland. The result in Athens will then dictate what result Scotland need against Denmark to top the group.

The last time Scotland met Greece it was a 3-1 win for the Tartan Army at Hampden last month. Ryan Christie opened the scoring for the navy-blue outfit. Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykes scored after Greece equalised in the 60th minute with a goal from Kostas Tsimikas.

Lyndon Dykes score against Greece by Ian MacNicol via Getty Images

The only team Scotland have failed to beat in the campaign is the number one seed, Denmark. The sides met in September where the match ended goalless in Copenhagen. This is also the only game Denmark have failed to pick up the full three points.

The Scotland squad have been in a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, in preparation for these huge games. Scotland star Billy Gilmour did not travel to the training camp in Turkey and will play no part in the tie against Greece. He is in contention to be involved in the game against Denmark.

Gilmour was forced off with injury for Napoli in a 0-0 draw with Serie A team Como. He has since not played for Napoli, missing a game in the Champions League and a league game against Bologna.

Lennon Miller and Ross McCrorie have entirely withdrawn from the squad, as well. They have been replaced by Rangers player Connor Barron and West Ham midfielder Andy Irving. Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn is still out with injury and Scott Bain has been called up. Bain has played every league game for Falkirk this season and has kept one clean sheet out of 12.

Craig Gordon Scotland vs Portugal by Alex Livesey - Danehouse via Getty Images

The other goalkeeper options are Craig Gordon, who has missed most of the season so far with a shoulder injury and has not been in between the sticks for Hearts since last season. Liam Kelly has been on the bench for every game Rangers have played this season, making the goalkeeping choices very sparse with game time for Clarke.

Clarke has recalled Lawrence Shankland as an attacking option. The Hearts captain has scored seven goals and assisted two in the Scottish Premiership as his team Hearts currently sit seven points clear at the top of the table. The other forwards that made the 25-man squad are Dykes, Che Adams and George Hirst.

Manager Clarke has recently expressed that this competition will most likely be the last under his management for Scotland. He said there is a 75% chance he’ll leave his position once his contract expires in 2026. Fans are split over whether they feel Clarke is the correct man for the job. Some believe he is doing a good job whilst others feel his time is up.

Steve Clarke at Euro 2024 by Alexander Hassenstein

Clarke has failed to include players from the Scottish Premiership who are excelling this season and has stuck to a very similar squad from previous campaigns.

The games fall on a big week for Scottish football as it was announced that Scotland will be a host nation alongside England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland for the Euro 2028 tournament. Hampden will be the chosen stadium for Scotland. This is the first time the hosts will need to qualify rather than skipping the qualification process altogether.

Scotland have a hard test coming up and if they make it to the World Cup it would be for the first time in 27 years, but this Scotland squad have proven they have what it takes to deliver when it matters most.

If you’d like to hear more about Scotland's chances Aaron Masterson and Jamie Bain have a full podcast here.

27 years and waiting: will Scotland finally make it to the World Cup?